[Working

Title]

Curatorial

Initiative

[Working Title] is a long-term initiative of Goodman Gallery dedicated to supporting the next generation of artists and fostering independent, experimental practice in South Africa. Originally launched in 2009 as an exhibition platform for emerging and under-recognised voices, it has evolved into a sustained framework for artistic development, collaboration and institutional exchange. From its earliest editions, [Working Title] functioned as a space of experimentation within the gallery’s programme. The 2013 iteration in Johannesburg brought together artists working across disciplines, from performance and sound to interactive media and gaming, and included a keynote lecture by Achille Mbembe that framed the exhibition within broader debates on postcolonial thought. In Cape Town in 2014, the platform expanded its geographic scope to include artists based in Benin, Nigeria, France, the United Kingdom and the United States, foregrounding questions of representation, technology and political responsibility. By 2015, with To Be Young, Gifted, and Black, curated by Hank Willis Thomas, [Working Title] engaged directly with global Black consciousness and diasporic histories, positioning emerging practices within a wider transnational discourse.

Across its early iterations, the initiative created space for ambitious installations, live performance, off-site activations and discursive programming, offering artists the opportunity to test ideas within an institutional context that prioritised risk and collaboration. Today, [Working Title] has been reimagined to extend this commitment beyond exhibition-making alone. The initiative now centres on long-term artist development, offering mentorship, studio visits and professional support while providing opportunities to present work within and beyond the gallery’s programme. The 2025 edition, launched at FNB Art Joburg, brings together artists including Bonolo Kavula, Banele Khoza, Bulumko Mbete, Unathi Mkonto, Micha Serraf and Guy Simpson. Their inclusion reflects the platform’s continued focus on artists who are shaping contemporary discourse in Africa while engaging global conversations.